May 22, 2011

Little House in the Big Woods



With my part of the taxes this year I bought a ton of books from Amazon and then I also just bought a slew of books from a local used book fair. So I will be having a lot to review for a while.

Lately though I have been reading just a little bit of Laura Ingals Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods. Lela loves it, and is always asking for me to read more of it. So I would say it gets 5 stars! I recently bought a curriculum based on Little House books, and we will be going through it for the summer as well. We've been doing all kinds of Prairie projects though and having a lot of fun. Highly suggested books for any family.


April 14, 2011



Saturday we went to the local library here in Kansas and got my card renewed, and Vince and the girls each a card. We spent a great deal of the day looking at books, and came home with The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life.

I am loving this book, it gets 5 stars! It's a wonderful book, projects to do, easy reading, and just fun. And of course about my favorite subject girls on the prairie! It has a lot of modern things for prairie girls to do. Which I am going to incorporate into teaching my girls as well. One thing we will be doing this week is cooking dandelion greens as the book suggested. I love dandelion greens but have never cooked them. So here's our chance. Another friend suggested dandelion pancakes, so that too will be added to our list of activities.

In the theme of Prairie Girls, I have began to read the Little House series to the girls. We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods so far so good. I think Lela will really like Laura as they both have a lot of fiste and energy! I will be getting Calvert Homeschools Little House curriculum, soon to go over with the girls as we go through this series. Along with I will probably be adding little projects along the way we will also be doing. First thing, as soon as we have fresh corn again we will be making corn cob babies!

Last night I made two big orders from Amazon and Bookcloseouts so there will be tons of reading in the coming months.

April 18, 2004

I now have a library card for Rochdale Village, Queens Library. Which is pretty good. I can walk to it, since it's in Rochdale Village-Second Largest Co-op in the world, and the co-op in which I live.

I decided to get two books on Orphan Train Children. They are fictional Historic books. I really liked the first one I read. About a girl named Aggie.

Aggie abandoned, in NJ. And ended up in a Asylum for waifs (orphans). Where she was mistreated, but then got to go on the Orphan train and was eventually adopted by a neat and corky family. Along the way it is a pretty interesting story. Even though the actual story was only a little over 80 pages. Then there was some real Orphan train pictures, and documentation after the story to educate you a little more on the history of the Orphan trains, how many children from these trains were placed in each of the states out west, and how it really helped some of these homeless children that NYC was over filled with, from so many immigrants working in poor conditions and dieing from those conditions leaving their children orphans with no other family to care for them since their families were still in their home countries. It was a sad situation, but I never knew how important these orphan trains were to so many thousands of children needing homes. And how the book explains that there were rules that he adoption parents had to follow, such as treating them as family members, and they actually had people come and check on the children to make sure these rules were being followed. I never knew that there was that much care involved. I had always thought that it was a much worse situation, and that children were torn from their parents by welfare for these orphan trains. I am not saying it wasn't a bad enough situation it was terribly bad for these poor children I'm sure. It was just a different experience then what I had knew of them. Of course I have never read a book about it, I've only heard about them on Unsolved Mysteries. And of course this book could be giving a slanted out look on it too. But, from the books view point. It was a good thing for most the children, even though of course some of them probably did fall through the cracks, it was better then living on the streets, homeless in NYC.

So sad in any situation though. And it will be so good when Jehovah takes these kinds of miseries away.

Any way I give the book. A high grade, in education, as well as being able to follow the story and keeping my interest. I finished the whole book in one, two hour session. And thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like any of the Dear America series books, this series is very close to it and would probably also interests you.

August 9, 2002

I read another chapter in my book last night. Spring is coming. And Pa was able to get a good deal at the store with all the furs he had trapped during the winter. Both, Ma and Laura and Pa had their own encounters with "bears"!

August 8, 2002

Last night I read two more chapters of Little House in the Big Woods.

Uncle Peter and Aunt Eliza and three cousins came, in a big sleigh.

Laura got her first rag doll and is very proud of it. Before her new rag doll-Charlotte, she only had a corn cob doll.

Laura just turned five, Pa played Pop Goes the weasel and other children's songs for her.

Pa once again told a story to help teach them, it was about how even their grandpa had trouble minding/obeying sometimes, but how it was harder for children to obey in Grandpa's childhood, cause so much more was expected of them.

August 7, 2002

Last night I read the 3rd chapter. It was about the Long Rifle. And how Pa would make his own bullets and clean his gun just so. And Pa telling them a story about his boy hood to teach them how important it is to obey your parents. One thing he said was if they obeyed him they woudln't get hurt. Reminds me of if we obey Jehovah we won't be hurt either. He only tells us things to protect us and for our own good.

August 4, 2002

Today I read the rest of the first chapter and the 2nd chapter. Pretty much they finished getting ready for winter, and are now into winter. Pa likes to play with the girls, and sing to them and tell them stories. And of course play his fiddle. The also help Ma with a lot of the indoor chores.